Bound Together
by soapmaniac22
Summary: When Caroline Forbes finally gets the hang of the whole teenage vampire thing, Klaus Mikaelson blows into town and breaks his hybrid curse, sending her down another supernatural road that leaves her at odds with something she trusted the most- her heart.


**Hey everybody! Now that the reveals are out, I decided to go ahead and post this here! Since it's longer than the usual drabble, I'm putting this in it's own story.**

 **Here is the drabble that I wrote for Luiza for the Klaroline Winter Wonderland Exchange on AO3! EVERYBODY SHOULD GO CHECK OUT ALL THE GIFTS! Our fandom is so talented! I didn't get around to writing any smut (which whoops, unheard of with mates), but I may add a scene later. Major props to Sara for helping me find a good prompt and to Angie for reading it and assuring me that it wasn't bad ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It started with a tingle down her spine.

A light, feathering, electrical motion sweeping up and down her back, settling deep in her stomach. Her heart clenched painfully and Caroline sucked in a breath, pressing the palm of her hand against her chest, massaging the spot gently with her fingers. Her pulse was jumpy, the feeling unsettling and made her feel a little bit sick.

Tyler never stirred at her side, the exhaustion of his transformation and turning back taking a toll on his exhausted body.

Caroline stood up as the feeling continued, frantically checking her body for any accidental bites but didn't find any. She felt unnerved as the sensation continued, moving down to her legs and her heart rate doubled as panic began to set in. She knew that being a vampire was an adjustment, but even with her amplified emotions and senses, _this_ was not something she'd ever felt before.

Could she be turning back to a human?

Reaching for her phone, she quickly scrolled to find Bonnie's number. It rang for a few moments until the witch answered, her voice exhausted and battered.

 _"He escaped."_

There was no greeting, nor an explanation for what her friend was talking about. Caroline sucked in a breath, knowing exactly who she meant.

Klaus.

"What happened?" was all she asked.

Bonnie heaved a sigh on the other end, sniffing tiredly. " _Elijah. He didn't uphold his end of the bargain and let him live."_

Caroline swallowed, her skin continuing to prickle at her spine, increasing with the fear that Klaus' name set in. "So, where is he now?"

 _"I don't know. But, Caroline- be careful. None of us are safe."_

"I will. I'm at the Lockwood's with Tyler."

 _"Good,"_ Bonnie breathed. _"Don't leave until I can locate him and make sure he's not around here."_

"Okay," Caroline agreed. "And Bonnie, is Elena-"

" _She's okay,"_ she replied, a small glimmer of relief coming through her voice.

"Thank God," Caroline sighed, rubbing her chest as her heart clenched again, pressing her lips together. "Is everybody else okay?"

There was a pause and Bonnie sniffed, clearing her throat. _"Jenna is dead. Klaus used her in the sacrifice as a vampire. And so is John."_

Caroline gasped, blinking back a rush of tears. "Oh, Bonnie."

" _I know, I know_ ," she responded, her voice thick with tears.

"Is Elena-"

" _Devastated, but I think she'll be okay,_ " Bonnie explained, her emotion streaming through the phone. " _She was there for Jenna, right through the end."_

All Caroline could do was nod, pressing her lips together to hold back more tears. "But is everybody else okay? Did anything happen when Klaus transformed? No side effects, desiccation?"

Bonnie sounded confused when she answered. " _No, everybody else seems okay. Are you_?"

Caroline bit her lip, shifting uneasily as another tremor when down her back. "Yep, I'm fine," she lied. "Just wanted to make sure everybody else is too."

" _Okay_ ," Bonnie answered, her tone clearly stating how unconvinced she was. _"Are you sure?"_

"Yep," Caroline chirped, her mind mulling over possibilities as to what was happening to her body. "Just call me when it's safe to leave."

 _"Oka-"_

She hung up quickly, taking a deep breath. Tyler was still fast asleep on the couch with no sign of waking up anytime soon. Caroline thumbed her phone nervously as she paced the Lockwood's living room. She couldn't think of anybody else to call. Matt just dumped her, Stefan was too busy with Elena, her mother could barely stand to look at her these days, and Bonnie had enough on her plate as it was.

The tremors down her back continued, doing little to stoke the uneasiness that she felt. She tried to take deep breaths, fighting off the way her body kept reacting. As Caroline continued to pace around the room, her feet began to lead her towards the front door in the foyer. It was almost like her body was unconsciously moving her towards it. Her fingers traced the knob on the door nervously, starting to feel more panic at the loss of control she felt.

She had spent the past couple of months trying her hardest to control her bloodlust and hunger and for a control freak like her, the fact that her body was once again tripping out on her just scared her even more. How many times would her body betray her like this?

Why?

Her fingers itched to open the door, almost like her body was trying to get her fresh air and some relief. She felt suffocated in the house, like her invitation to the mansion had been taken away. It was impossible since she'd been inside for an hour or so with Matt and Tyler.

Against her better judgment, Caroline wrenched the door open. Almost instantly, her body seemed to calm. The tingling up and down her spine ceased and her fear just seemed to dissipate. Her pulse seemed to hum contentedly and she gulped in fresh air, closing her eyes in relief.

But her confusion grew.

Getting fresh air was one thing, but just stepping outside the house was enough to calm every single instinct in her body?

Did her invitation really get taken away?

Caroline furrowed her brow and turned to look at the house behind her, and that's when she saw it.

A wolf.

Correction, a _werewolf._

The golden brown wolf stood tall on the side of the porch, it gleaming eyes watching Caroline as she instinctively froze. It's thick coat shone under the moonlight, the white fur surrounding its mouth was splattered with crimson blood. It held a dead animal in its mouth, fresh blood dripping on the brick porch. As she stared at the dangerous animal, it seemed to preen under her assessing look, watching her with those bright eyes.

Caroline knew she should be panicking at the site of the lethal animal. Werewolf bites weren't something that had a cure for and one false move could leave her dead for good. She barely escaped Tyler earlier tonight, him trying to attack her whenever she was near. Vampires and werewolves didn't mix.

But, all she could feel was her feet gravitating towards the dangerous creature. The blood splattering the ground left her mouth watering and gums aching. Instead of terror, all she felt was insane hunger at the rusty scent.

There was also something else that she couldn't quite describe.

The wolf appraised her as she took a step forward. It didn't lunge to bite or attack, just continued to stare at her. Her fingers itched to touch the soft fur, leaving her horrified. Clearly, the weird body effect she had earlier had left her brain damaged. It was the only explanation for why she longed to get near the dangerous animal.

It continued to look at her before lunging forward and dropping the dead animal, a rabbit, at her feet before sprinting off the porch. The scream that built up in her chest froze as her pulse jumped into a frenzy. Her hands shook against her jeans as she brushed them against her thighs, too afraid to close her eyes if the animal came back.

But it didn't attack her. She worried her bottom lip, mind running through thousands of possibilities as to why she didn't have a festering bite on her arm.

Did a werewolf seriously drop a dead rabbit on the porch and leave? Seriously?

Perhaps he wanted to fatten her up with animal blood before trying to eat her later.

Sadistic, but nothing surprised her anymore.

"This night gets weirder and weirder," Caroline murmured, taking a step towards the door, hell-bent on getting away from anymore creepy animals.

There was a thump behind her and she whirled around, gasping when she saw the same werewolf behind her again, this time with a dead squirrel in its mouth. It walked closer to her and Caroline took a step back, her fingers hitting the doorknob. Her instincts were to turn it, but her hand wouldn't budge.

The werewolf came even more close and despite her fear, she felt _calm?_ She was lain up against the front door by the time the wolf reached her feet, her instincts telling her to run, but her body completely at ease.

 _What the hell?_

Once again, the wolf dropped the dead animal at her feet. Instead of flashing off this time, it stayed, sniffing her feet. Caroline held in a breath, trying very hard to not move suddenly. Her gums ached to sink into the warm flesh of the animal, but her hand itched to stroke the wolf's coat, terrified by her instincts' betrayal. The tawny animal continued to sniff her, nudging her hands with its warm, wet nose.

She took deep breaths, trying to clear her head out of the fog this animal seemed to have her under. Her fingers absentmindedly stroked the top of its head, her mind too busy concentrating on not attacking the dead animals on the porch for blood and to not run away, instigating the dangerous creature to attack her.

The wolf licked her hand softly, nuzzling its soft fur against her, snapping her out of her concentrated daze. Her eyes flashed down to the werewolf, shocked to see a pair of piercing blue eyes glinting at her. They stared at each out for a moment, blue eyes on blue eyes. Her heart slowed down to a normal rhythm and a warmth spread over her body, giving her a feeling of...completeness.

For the first time since she turned, Caroline felt like herself again.

She felt like Caroline.

Then, in a flash, the wolf was gone.

What the hell was _that?_

She gasped out loud, immediately bringing her hand to her chest, rubbing gently at her heart as the tingling feeling started again. Her brain was on autopilot, swimming with confusion as she blinked back a sudden onset of tears.

She felt empty again.

The dead silence broke with a shuffling noise at the edge of the porch and Caroline jumped, biting back a shriek when Elijah Mikaelson stepped up the stairs, bewilderment marring his handsome face.

"Well, that was curious," he remarked, wiping his bloodied hands with a white handkerchief. "I see you've met my brother Niklaus."

Caroline gaped at him wordlessly, touching her hand absently.

"Was that him? Did he just seriously lick my hand?"

Elijah chuckled, picking up the dead rabbit that was on the porch. "It seems my nefarious brother has met his match."

Caroline looked at him dumbly, saying the first thing that popped into her head. "In a rabbit?"

Elijah barked out another laugh, tossing the animal on the grass. "No, Miss Forbes. Not in a simpleton creature like a rabbit or squirrel."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the man who broke his promise to her friends. "Tell me before I call Bonnie and she'll use her Bennett family witchy voodoo to lock him up for good."

It was an outright lie, but she was too tired to think of anything wittier. Elijah looked faintly amused, continuing to wipe his hands with the soiled handkerchief.

"In his mate," he answered lightly, cocking his head to the side.

She just furrowed her brow in confusion. "Who?"

"You."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Caroline ranted, pacing back in forth in front of Elijah. "You're telling me that _that_ evil, ancient psychopath is my _mate_?"

The man looked bored as he checked over his shoulder at the supposedly sleeping hybrid in the meadow behind him. It was the day after Klaus' curse broke and Elijah basically kidnapped her after Jenna's funeral, taking her to the middle of nowhere. He had been following Klaus the past day, cleaning up his messes and kills. When the hybrid finally collapsed out of exhaustion, Elijah snatched her outside the Grille and brought her to the area where Klaus was resting so that they could talk.

After Elijah concluded the night before that she apparently had the "honor" of being Klaus' mate, Caroline bolted from the Lockwood's. It had been the longest night ever and she was pretty sure that despite Elijah being an Original, his mind had gone cuckoo in age because there was no way in _hell_ that she was Klaus' _mate_.

Clearly she was going nuts too because she let said supposed mate _lick her hand_.

"It's not too farfetched," Elijah reasoned. "The balance of nature works in mysterious ways. For every supernatural creature created, it's undoing is created at the same time."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. "Um, hello? He's like practically a billion and I'm 17! There is nothing logical about me, a teenage vampire, being a mate to cranky old psychopathic hybrid!"

Elijah pressed his lips together to hide a smile. "You seem to have him pegged to a T without even fully meeting him."

"I like to think I have good judge of character," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "I also don't see you telling me I'm wrong in my assessment either."

"Needless to say, it does make sense to me," Elijah continued as he ignored her last statement, pressing the tips of his fingers together. "My mother, the woman who put the curse on him, had a bit of a vindictive streak."

Caroline rose an eyebrow, a little surprised to find out that his own mother would stoop so low to put a curse on her own son. But with her bout of bad luck the past year, nothing seemed to phase her that much anymore. So, _of course_ , she would have a "mate" with major parental issues.

"A human girl, a thousand years in the future from when he was born and turned?" Elijah mused. "Klaus was never supposed to find you. Doomed to spend his entire life feeling like something was always missing."

Caroline scoffed. "I'm sure he didn't even notice."

Elijah gave her a look. "You do not know Niklaus."

Caroline pressed her lips together, holding back the retort of her desire to never know him that was on the tip of her tongue.

"My brother is a complicated person Miss. Forbes-," he began and Caroline cut him off with a snort.

"A psychopath who has a penchant for murder and torturing my friends?" she ratted off with a glare. "That's all I need to know."

Elijah didn't deny her allegations, just quirked an eyebrow at her. She signed, running her hands through her hair. The tickle that she felt down her back over the past two days subsided for the most part, much to her relief. However, she was about 75% sure that it was because she was less than 20 yards from Klaus, her supposed mate.

That was going to get real freaking annoying.

"You said that your mother put this mate link between us?" she asked.

"The balance of nature, which, my mother disrupted with turning us into vampires and binding his werewolf side," he corrected. "Giving Niklaus a mate a thousand years in the future was nature's way of punishing him for my mother's actions. It must have been unleashed when the curse was broken. Something I'm sure she and my father were rather pleased about."

"Why would she want to torture her son like that?" Caroline questioned, genuinely curious.

She never really gotten along with her own mother, and with her being a vampire she most likely hated her. But she didn't see her mom wanting to physically cause damage to her, or put her through an intense mental connection when she knew it would most likely cause Caroline pain.

At least, she hoped she wouldn't.

She didn't know anymore.

"Because she couldn't handle her own indiscretions," a voice broke through Caroline's thoughts.

Both her and Elijah whirled around towards the voice behind them, and there stood Klaus- her supposed mate- in all his glory.

In his _naked_ glory.

Caroline checked him out slowly, surprised to feel a wash of calm go over her body at his seemingly unharmed form. He was devastatingly handsome to her annoyance, all lean and toned. His dirty blonde hair was mussed and Caroline could see some leaves stuck in the back with piercing blue eyes that she could feel all the way down her chest, sharp cheekbones that hid deep dimples and contained a slight five o'clock shadow that littered across his chin. His crimson lips were twisted into a slight smirk that came off more impish rather than evil.

Her cheeks blushed as the man arched a brow at her blatant staring and she whirled around as she attempted to brush off his influence on her. "Geez, can't you put some clothes on?"

Klaus chuckled and she cursed the way his laugh warmed her from the inside out. Elijah looked faintly amused, tossing his brother the bag that he brought with him to the meadow.

"Cannot say that I expected that to be the first phrase that my mate would utter to me," he mused, more to himself rather than her, and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I'm not your mate," she bit out.

She heard shuffling behind her, like he seemed to be getting dressed. Elijah boredly looked on, like cleaning up after Klaus was something he did every day.

Which, she guessed after a thousand years, did get rather tedious.

"As infuriating as I find this situation, it's not something I can deny," Klaus remarked with a casual tone. "Especially since I've suspected it for centuries myself."

Next to her, Elijah stiffened in surprised.

"You can turn around now."

Caroline peeked slowly over her shoulder, sighing in relief as he tugged on a jacket.

Turning around hesitantly, she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to school her expression into a neutral one. As much as she wanted to deny everything that Elijah told her and what Klaus apparently believed, she couldn't completely rule it out. There was something so..different about the way she was reacting to him being around.

She felt...calm.

And she had not felt like that since she was human.

Tyler's presence always seemed to put her on edge which she chalked that up to his wolf genes. Matt was a human so the constant flow of blood in his system always tempted her bloodlust. Everything around her felt so _overwhelming_. Like nothing ever felt right.

But right in that moment with Klaus, Caroline felt _right._

Like it was where she belonged.

And standing there looking at him was even more terrifying because she didn't feel scared with him.

And in that very moment, she knew never would.

Her feet practically itched to move close to him, but she kept her distance, both of them staring at each other critically. Elijah watched the scene interestedly, his eyes flicking between the two.

"Elijah, can you give us a moment?" Klaus broke through the silence, his eyes never moving from Caroline's.

She matched his gaze, feeling her pulse accelerate at the curious glint in his familiar blue stare.

"Absolutely not," Elijah refused. "I don't trust you with her."

Klaus scoffed. "She's my mate. You don't get to give an opinion."

Caroline bit her lip as she got the underlying message Elijah didn't say.

 _He didn't trust him not to kill her._

"He's not going to kill me," she spoke softly. "He can't."

Klaus glared at her, but didn't deny it.

And she couldn't deny it either. Not when she felt the bond in every fiber of her being.

Just like if she ever tried to harm him, she wouldn't survive it. Every bone in her body ached to wrap around him, to protect him from every harm that came his way. There was a small splotch of blood next to his neck and Caroline bit the inside of her cheek to keep from running to find out if it was his own blood or a victim's. Everything in her body told her to go to him, touch him and feel the strange bond between them solidify.

But her mind screamed for her to run far, far away.

By the way his eyes were carefully assessing every inch of her, she could tell that the mate bond held the same possessive quality that she currently felt towards him.

"Please," she murmured quietly, needing Elijah to leave.

It was too much.

A tremor went down Klaus' back and he blinked surprisingly, his lips parting briefly. The action didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

Elijah looked at both of them, letting out a sigh before fixating on Klaus. "Remember your promise, Niklaus."

And then he was gone, leaving them alone in the middle of the woods.

Caroline looked down at her boots, suddenly very interested on the mud smeared on the side of them. Klaus sized her up quietly, walking over to a tree trunk and settled against it, pressing his fingertips together as he continued to look at her.

She could feel the heat of his gaze on her, both unnerving and comforting at the same time. The silence continued on for a few minutes and when she finally looked up from her shoes, Klaus was still staring at her, his gaze unreadable.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Caroline managed to bite out.

That made him smirk. "Debatable. Perhaps in the new technological advances it's possible, but paper disintegrates over the centuries."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Like I will-"

"Yes, you will live longer than that," Klaus interrupted, his steely gaze leveling hers.

She blinked, looking away. The complete seriousness in his tone made her breath unsteady and sent her already confusing mindset on a tailspin.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm not just saying that because you're apparently my mate. I'm saying that because you're a vampire, Caroline. You are immortal, not human. And quite frankly, it's time for you to stop acting like a human."

Caroline glared at him. "You don't even know me. You literally just met me like two weeks ago when you were in my teacher's meat suit, which by the way, _gross._ So, don't tell me what to do."

Klaus' lips turned up amusedly. "Has anybody ever told you how glorious you are when you're angry, love?"

Caroline scoffed. "First of all, I'm not your "love." The name is Caroline. And second of all, flattery will get you nowhere with me, so don't even try."

Klaus' gave her a full blown dimpled smile and she cursed the way her heart seemed to flip over. Her feet longed to move closer to him but she settled for sitting down on the grass, yards away from where he sat underneath the tree.

"When did you start to suspect it?" she asked quietly.

He pressed his lips together and Caroline found her eyes drifting down to watch the motion. He didn't answer right away, seemingly mulling over his thoughts as Caroline fiddled with the grass next to her. Keeping her hands busy helped her from focusing on the fact that her body longed to be closer to him, to touch his skin and know that he's okay.

It was scary, how much her body was basically betraying every single thought and feeling she knew she should have. But at the same time, her body ached to wrap itself around him.

He killed Elena, Jenna, tortured her other friends, essentially doing some of what Damon did to her. And yet, Elena and Stefan continue to bring him around her.

Being a vampire was complicated.

Being a supposed mate was even more complicated.

"I suppose I always had a thought that the Original witch knew that nature had a loophole in her curse," Klaus mused thoughtfully. "Her and her accomplices weren't rather fond of me."

"What did you do to them?" Caroline asked curiously.

He looked over her, a unreadable glint in his eyes. "I was born."

Caroline furrowed her eyebrows towards him. "That doesn't make any sense."

Klaus laughed sardonically. "If you only knew, sweetheart."

"Then tell me."

He waved her off. "Another time, love."

Caroline huffed in annoyance. "You and your creepy brother are telling me that we are essentially tied to each other and have been for like a bajillion years. You also killed my friend, her aunt, and tortured others. You owe me."

"I owe you nothing," Klaus growled out.

"You owe me everything," she fought back. "If you want me to understand this stupid bond between us, you have to tell me about why it's here in the first place."

Klaus' glare sent daggers at her but she just matched him evenly, arching a brow as she waited for him to respond. Finally, he sighed heavily, rubbing his temples briefly.

"Fine."

"Thank you," she said quietly, sucking in a breath when his eyes snapped to her at her soft tone.

"The Original witch was my mother," he confessed, snorting at the comical way her jaw dropped. "I was the product of an affair, hence the wolf gene. The man who raised me found out when I made my first kill as a vampire and turned. When I woke up after that night, he forced my mother to curse and lock away my werewolf side."

Caroline gaped at him, her mind swimming with his story. "That doesn't exactly explain why she hated you."

"Because my turning exposed her infidelity," he shrugged casually, as if he was explaining a mundane task. "You didn't know my father. Lying was a betrayal and a death sentence."

She made a face. "What an ass."

Klaus smirked, his eyes not matching the amused expression. "That's putting it mildly."

"So, the mate thing?"

He toyed with his fingertips, his eyes watching the motion. "I had an inkling about 17 years ago."

Caroline tilted her head, chewing at her lip as he seemed to choose his words carefully. He refused to look at her and crossed his arms over his chest, a seemingly defensive gesture as if he was trying to hide how difficult being vulnerable was in front of someone he hardly knew. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest, putting up her own defensive posture.

"Why then?" she asked, soft.

He gave her a wry grin, looking at her almost pityingly. "How old are you Caroline?"

She sucked in a breath, eyes dropping to the forest floor as her cheeks flushed. "Oh."

"I first assumed it was the doppelganger being born. When Katerina drew her first breath as a human, I felt a tug on the curse," he continued on, still refusing to look at her. "After a thousand years after literally feeling tied down, any shift I felt was suspicious."

She kept quiet, her hands nervously playing with a tiny stick lying by her foot.

"The doppelganger blood helped bind my wolf side, so something in their blood tugs on the spell when they are born," he explained with a slight murderous expression. "Almost like my mother was toying with me."

"What a bitch," Caroline cut in, the tips of her ears heating when Klaus met her gaze with an amused expression.

"Accurate description, love. It was rather satisfying when I tore her heart out," he smirked with a dark glint in his eye flashing at her.

Caroline's pulse jumped and she gulped, her nails pressing deeply in her skin as her hands formed into fists. It was easy to forget that Klaus was a mass murdering hybrid when he was sitting on the ground, looking and feeling as confused and vulnerable about the whole mate thing.

But it was easier to remember how he easily murdered Jenna and Elena with no remorse by that malicious look.

He wasn't just her mate.

He was a cold-blooded killer.

 _So are you¸_ Caroline blinked, reflecting on the poor carnival worker that still haunted her dreams _._

"Get to the point," she snapped in short, clipped tones.

He didn't seem surprised by her abrupt change in tone, almost as if he expected it.

Or _wanted_ her to remember.

His lips just quirked up and continued on. "However, I realized when I started doing my research-"

"Terrorizing," she cut in.

"-that Elena was born a few months before you," he finished, ignoring her quip. "I had felt a twinge when she was born, but there was something else when you were."

"Like a tickle down your back?" she supplied, ignoring his interested gaze.

"Exactly," he confirmed. "I was too far gone on a bloodlust binge to notice it was different. Until-"

"Until last night," Caroline finished for him. "I felt it too."

Klaus didn't say anything, just looked mildly annoyed at her interruptions. Caroline finally met his stare, blinking at the jolt she felt down her spine. He didn't outwardly react, but the way his lips tightened made her realize that he felt it too.

"How did you know for sure?" she asked, knowing her understood what she was asking.

He looked at her for a long moment, leaving her uneasy and dropped his gaze. She sighed, about to make a smart ass comment and then-

"I didn't kill you."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

Klaus rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I knew you were my mate because I didn't kill you. I _couldn't_ kill you."

"How romantic," she said dryly.

He glared at her. "You're lucky I don't stake you right now."

She just rolled her eyes. "Please. You won't kill me."

"I've killed people for less, sweetheart." he gave her a terrifying smirk and she matched it, ignoring the pleased look that briefly flitted across his face at how easily she fell into banter with him.

"You can't kill me because you'll want to die right after," she said mock-sweetly.

He arched his eyebrow at her. "You don't know that."

She shrugged. "Fine, kill me."

He continued to scowl at her antagonizing, his blue green eyes sparkling with annoyance. She tossed a flimsy stick at him.

"Aim for the heart."

He glowered and she gave him a mirthful smile.

"I don't take teasing lightly," he growled.

"Must have a boring sex life," she quipped without thinking and immediately flushed.

Klaus' expression changed completely, looking wholly interested at her latest conversation piece. The dimples in his cheeks grew as his eyes sparkled mischievously. Caroline shifted restlessly under his heated gaze as she tried to avoid looking directly at him.

"I can assure you that sex with me would never be boring, love," he responded cheekily.

"Like I would ever sleep with you," she spat.

He just grinned at her obvious discomfort. "Oh come on love, it's not like I'm a terrible mate. I did bring you blood last night as a peace offering."

"Nah, you just murdered like three people and brought me dead bunnies afterwards," Caroline said sarcastically, giving him a mocking smile.

Klaus didn't rise to her bait, shrugging. "Well, in my research before coming to Mystic Falls, I heard that the little blonde vampire preferred animals to human when it came to food, so I brought you some."

"Creepy."

"I make it a point to know everything about everybody before I put myself in a situation."

"Oh, so you are a stalker? Even creepier."

Klaus' eyes sparkled amusedly, seemingly enjoying her discomfort whilst it annoyed Caroline even more. "Personally I prefer the humans. Much more fresh and savory in taste."

"Yeah, well I prefer not to kill people," she said primly.

"You are only just beginning, Caroline," Klaus remarked. "You don't know who or what you will become in centuries."

She wanted to deny him, but the words never came. Caroline had been a vampire only for a few months now but it was moments like this, especially with the mention of living longer than a normal lifetime, that she was hit with her immortality.

She would never die. Her mother, father, Bonnie, Elena, Matt, Tyler, everybody else in her life, would.

There will come a time where she won't even remember her mother's voice.

Maybe even her face.

The thought was devastating and Caroline blinked rapidly, trying to veer off the rapid onset of tears.

"I've upset you," Klaus stated plainly.

Caroline sniffed, shaking her head. "Nothing like being chained to an immortal psycho to cap off a fabulous week."

Klaus chuckled, delighted with her insult. She glared at him, wiping away a tear. His brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side as he studied her beautiful, teary face.

"You're afraid. Aren't you?" he watched her carefully, as if he could see everything she felt. "Of living forever."

"No," she shook her head, avoiding his eyes.

"Yes, you are," he continued quietly, tilting his head down to catch her gaze. "Caroline, life doesn't stop when you die. It begins."

His face turned soft, almost sympathetic to her plight. She licked her lips but didn't answer, a way of acquiescing to his explanation.

"There's a whole world out there waiting for you," Klaus' eyes lit up, brightening up his whole expression. "Great cities, art, and music. Beauty-"

Caroline attempted to scoff at his words, but found that she couldn't look away from the passion illuminating his form. Right there in that second, he was no longer the monster that tortured her friends. He was just a person, representing a fulfilled life that she could only pray to have one day.

A life she could want.

She could see it in her mind, a moonlight gondola ride in Venice, dancing in the streets of New Orleans, rushing through the streets of New York, looking up at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, walking the Great Wall of China.

Things in her wildest dreams that she didn't know she could have.

"Genuine beauty," Klaus continued without missing a beat, pressing his lips together in wonder. "And you, love, can have all of it."

He smiled, as if to himself, lifting his eyes to hers. She inhaled sharply, meeting his intense stare straight on. His eyes swirled with an emotion she couldn't identify and found herself holding her breath. She could barely think when he was looking at her like that, let alone talk.

"All you have to do is ask," Klaus said softly.

She swallowed, trying to look away, but it was like she was magnetized to him. He searched her face, like he was looking for something. He must have found it because the corners of his lips tilted before he fixated her a strong look.

"Now, do you want to explain to me why the doppelganger was at her aunt's funeral and not dead like I left her?"

 _Fuck._

* * *

Klaus handled it better than she thought he would.

He didn't immediately explode on her or flash off to kill Elena. Instead, he was rather intrigued at the notion of her still being alive. Turns out, since Klaus' mother had screwed him over with a mate, he didn't exactly trust her formula for turning hybrids.

Thank God Bonnie confirmed that theory when Klaus used Tyler as his guinea pig later that month.

"Why don't you go ahead and leave?" Caroline asked weeks later, playing with a thread on her bedspread.

Klaus and his brother settled down in Mystic Falls over the past month, leaving Caroline and her friends on edge. Of course, she knew that he would never hurt her, but she knew that he had no problems threatening Bonnie and Elena to do his bidding or give him blood.

Caroline ended up having to convince her mother to invite Klaus in her home in order for him to keep Damon from dying from the wolf bite that Tyler gave him the night the curse was broken. She lied, wanting nothing more than to watch Damon die a slow painful death. But, she needed Klaus to be able to come see her with her mother being none the wiser.

Which is why he was currently relaxing in her room, inspecting every single thing in it.

"Trust me, I wish I could," Klaus said, fiddling with something on her dresser.

She and Klaus had struck up a semi-weird, yet not awkward... _being_ with each other. They hung around each other, mostly on a daily basis. He'd go hunting every few days, dropping off dead rabbits and squirrels since she was still a little squeamish about human blood. Being mates meant that they felt the need to be around each other, but facts were facts and Klaus was still a psychotic killer and she didn't trust him with the teddy bear that she currently cuddled up to on her bed.

"Then go," she said, stretching her arm out. "Nothing is stopping you."

He looked over his shoulder with a raised brow. "You know why I can't."

Caroline looked down at her teddy bear, refusing to look up at him. "We don't know if anything will happen."

Klaus rolled his eyes, dropping her hairbrush on the dresser before striding over to her bed and settling at the foot of it.

"Love, every single night when I leave here, I'm drawn right back to you. I can't stop thinking about someone hurting you the minute I turn my back," he motioned and she felt her face heat up. "I _can't_ leave you."

"I'll be fine," she muttered, steadfastly ignoring the part of her that yearned to go with him. "You can check up on me like once a month."

Klaus looked at her like she grew three heads. "Once a month for the rest of your immortal life? Are you mad?"

"Yeah, I am, actually," Caroline spat back. "I didn't sign up for this!."

"Well, neither did I, sweetheart," Klaus said darkly. "Do you think I enjoy the fact that I am quite literally the most powerful creature in the planet who has spent my entire immortal life hell-bent on breaking my curse and building my army, and all of that can be undone if someone so much as harms a hair on your head!"

Caroline sucked in a sharp breath as air around them seemed to thicken with silent, overbearing tension. Klaus had been glaring at her during his rant, but his eyes dropped to her hands that stilled from playing with the comforter.

Crazy as it seems, she understood everything he said. Everything with him seemed much too much. But at the same time, it felt just right.

Klaus tracked down a discreet witch who explained the mate bond to them. They would always be drawn to each other, possessive down to the core. Distance away from their mate was like PMS on crack basically, irritable, moody, and in constant fear that something would happen to them.

And the death of the mate would most likely drive them to madness.

Which was totally inconvenient because her friends were constantly trying everything in their powers to kill him.

"I know," she murmured quietly. "It sucks."

He just huffed in agreement and she blew out a breath.

"At least I'm getting a lot of free meals out of it," she joked.

Klaus grinned at that. While she was still squeamish about human blood, he had been trying to break her out of the habit of just drinking animal blood and started fetching her blood bags from the hospital. She still refused to drink from the vein, but with his help (surprisingly) she was slowly able to switch to human blood and not feel the need to maul her classmates every day in class.

"Anytime you feel like expanding your diet, love, I can help with that," he offered, propping his chin on his hand.

She made a face. "Nah, I'll let you be the only mass murderer in town."

He rolled his eyes but didn't fight the upturn of his lips.

"When are you letting your family out?" she asked quietly, tensing her shoulders for his sure outburst.

That was another one of their current issues.

One day after school, he took her back to his mansion to do her homework while he did hybrid-y business and Caroline stumbled into a room of coffins while looking from the kitchen.

Okay, so she was snooping.

Elijah had been missing for a few days and Klaus just waved off her questions with explanations that his brother finally decided to let him live his life.

And as always, she didn't believe him.

The coffins contained his siblings. Other than Elijah, there was his brothers, Kol and Finn, a sister, Rebekah, and a mysterious coffin that he refused to tell her what it contained.

When he found out and they both yelled and threw things around the room for about an hour, him angry at her for spying and her angry at him for creepily hoarding his family in coffins and being a general psychopath (the usual things they fought about). Then she forced him, using the mate bond to persuade tell her everything about how he kept his family confined in coffins to save them from themselves.

Though, she thought he means to save them from himself.

It was a sore subject between them, but after Caroline found out that he daggered Elijah not long after Klaus first turned to keep quiet about the mate bond, it was a subject she brought up a lot.

"I was thinking it was none of your business," Klaus said unkindly, getting up to stride to her dresser.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so testy when I bring that up."

"Perhaps, stop bringing it up?" he suggested, his tone lightening up at her soft chiding.

Caroline squinted her eyes at him and pursed her lips together as she pretended to think. "Nah, I don't think so."

"Then I'm going to continue saying no," he shrugged, looking over his shoulder amusedly.

"Ugh, you're a terrible person," she groaned.

Klaus grinned, nodding towards her. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

Caroline shook her head. "Of course you would be the only person in the world that would ever take that as a compliment."

He didn't answer, just continued to smile to himself as he turned around and picked up one of her bracelets that she used to wear during the pageant cycles.

"So, what do we do?" she asked. "My friends are still trying to kill you like literally every day-"

Klaus chuckled, wholly amused at their attempts.

"-so you obviously can't stay here," she continued.

Klaus looked at her, his expression indescribable. "You could go with me."

Caroline gaped at him, her mouth hanging open. He tried to smile at it but it came out more like a grimace.

"Go with me Caroline."

She tried to speak, swallowing heavily. "I have school tomorrow."

Now that did make Klaus laugh. "You have years to finish high school. And summer break is right around the corner."

"My mom would never let me go."

"Compel her."

Caroline threw her teddy bear at him and he dodged, a small smile playing at his lips.

"I'm not compelling my mother! We _just_ got back to being somewhat cordial to each other and she still has to look away when I pull a blood bag out of the fridge," Caroline explained, gesturing towards her door. "I can't go."

Klaus scoffed in frustration. "Well, I can't stay!"

"Well then break the damn bond!" Caroline yelled back.

Klaus' eyes went wide and he reeled back his head like she tried to slap him. Caroline felt a pang in her chest and she rubbed at it, avoiding looking at him.

One of the major side effects of the bond that she slowly started to discover was that she could actually feel some of the things he felt. He was mostly angry all the time, which did nothing good for her amplified moods that she still had trouble with adjusting.

This time, it was hurt.

"I didn't mean that."

And she really didn't, to her surprise. As inconvenient as the mate bond was, Caroline never felt so _whole_ before. It was terrifying, but she felt more safe with him than she did with anybody else.

He'd never let anything happen to her.

Klaus gave her a sardonic smile. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

He went to get up, going over to her window that he used as a door. Hurt radiated through Caroline and she grimaced, biting her lip guiltily.

She rose from her bed on her knees. "Klaus-"

"Have a nice night," he threw over his shoulder and in a flash, he was gone.

Caroline sank back on her bed, rubbing at the aching pang in her chest. She blew out a sigh as she rubbed her temples, feeling completely unsettled. She winced as she felt a sharp pain in her back and another down her leg.

He was changing.

She shook her head, grabbing her laptop to watch Netflix to distract her from the obvious distress her body was in from him and his actual physical and mental pain.

Ignorance was bliss.

Except it wasn't. At all.

* * *

She decided to tell Bonnie first.

As far as conversations went with her best friend, the whole telling her that Klaus was her mate was by far the most awkward.

Well, minus the whole turning-into-a-vampire-and-Bonnie-being-repulsed-by-it debacle.

Caroline twiddled her thumbs nervously as Bonnie gaped at her. If she wasn't so on edge about the witch's response, she would have thought her expression was rather comical.

"Bonnie?" she started hesitantly. "Can you say something? I'm kind of dying over here."

Her best friend shook her head, blinking dazedly. "I-I'm trying to."

Caroline winced, looking down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

Bonnie snapped out of her daze, giving the blonde a confused look. "For what?"

"I'm the reason he's still around," she explained, wringing her hands wildly as she chewed on her bottom lip. "I didn't want to be his mate. It just...happened. Like, a thousand or so years ago so I _really_ couldn't do anything to prevent it."

"Caroline-" Bonnie answered slowly, her face turning dumbfounded as the blonde continued to blame herself. "This isn't your fault. You didn't ask for this to happen to you."

Caroline's shoulders slumped and she picked at her jeans. "I know."

"Don't you dare think I'm blaming you for what happened," Bonnie gently explained, shaking her head vehemently. "I made a mistake when you first turned okay? None of this was your fault. You just got...caught in the crosshairs."

Caroline peeked a look at her. "Yeah?"

Bonnie gave her a tentative smile. "Of course. If anything, it's Klaus' creepy mother who forced the imbalance of nature that set our lives on this tailspin."

She breathed a sigh, wrinkling her nose. "True."

"I think you need to tell Elena, though," Bonnie said kindly, placing a hand on top of the vampire's. "She would understand."

"I can't," Caroline groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I don't trust Damon to not kill me in order to drive Klaus insane to where he will want to die."

"And we can't kill Klaus because then you will go insane," Bonnie finished, looking at a loss. "What a clusterfuck."

Caroline snorted. "That's putting it lightly. Plus, you know Damon would do anything to keep Elena alive and safe. I'm screwed if they find out."

Bonnie grimaced, unable to dispute what the older vampire's plan would be. He didn't hesitate to try to kill her at the carnival, but not even Stefan would be able stop him if it meant they'd get rid of Klaus for good. They sat quietly for a moment, both stewing over the situation.

"He wants to leave," she said suddenly, peeking at Bonnie.

The witch looked confused for a moment. "Then let him?"

"No, he wants _me_ to leave with him," she confessed, running a hand through her blonde curls.

" _Oh_ ," Bonnie said, eyes wide. "He wants you to leave Mystic Falls with him?"

She nodded, pressing her lips together. "He's been mentioning it every day since we first talked about it a week or so ago."

And he had. After her outburst that night in her room, Klaus didn't come over for the next couple of days. He was constantly changing during that time so she felt pain all over, leaving her on edge the entire time. He didn't do it to cause her pain, but to ignore every ounce of hurt that he felt.

She did find out that he checked on her while she was sleeping, leaving dead squirrels and rabbits under her window.

His creepy, gross idea of a peace offering.

She ended up bursting into the mansion one night and found him painting in the studio off his bedroom. They didn't speak for hours, but just being around him was enough to satisfy the tickle in her spine.

Then when he did talk to her, all he could talk about was leaving.

She wasn't ready.

The craziest thing about it was that she didn't want him to leave either. Little by little, she'd grown used to having Klaus around. Her mate made her feel safe, warm, content. She wasn't ready to lose him.

She didn't _want_ to lose him.

"I can't."

"Well of course you can't," Bonnie gave her a look that suggested she was crazy for even thinking about it. "This is your home. You're still in high school."

Caroline nodded, pushing down the teeny tiny part of her that itched to leave and explore the world. The speech Klaus gave her in the meadow still stuck with her, the possibilities eating at her more and more every day.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She wished that didn't feel like a lie.

* * *

The Salvatores screwed everything up.

Like usual.

She woke up with a mouthful of blood and Klaus' frantic eyes looming over her as he pressed his arm to her mouth. Caroline drank greedily, the delicious taste of her mate's blood spreading warmth all over her body.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked, disengaging his wrist from her mouth.

His hands ran softly across her arms, leaving shockwaves in their wake as he checked her for any injuries.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around her.

She was in one of the bedrooms at the Lockwood's Mansions. Last thing she remembered was the Homecoming dance was moved to Tyler's house at the last minute and _Mikael_ -

"Mikael-"

"He's dead, love," Klaus explained softly, running a hand through her hair. "I killed him."

Caroline swallowed and she fell back against the pillows with a sigh.

Somehow, Damon found out that Klaus' father was still alive and conspired with Bonnie's mother, a Bennett witch whose power rivaled her daughter's, and Katherine to set him free and send him to kill Klaus.

It was a foolproof plan.

That is, if Caroline and Bonnie hadn't found out the night before.

Bonnie was loyal to both Elena and Caroline, but she discovered in one of her grimoires that once an Original was killed, their entire sireline was killed. Which meant that if Klaus went down, not only would Caroline go, but Stefan and Damon with it.

So, she and Stefan were determined to keep Damon from making a stupid mistake.

And since Caroline was currently staring into Klaus' relieved, yet murderous eyes, it seemed they were successful. Her heartbeat tripled as she thought about how close they came to losing, how close she came to losing _him._

"I was vervained," she rasped out. "I think Tyler knew what Damon was planning and he wanted me out of the way."

Klaus nodded, his jaw set. "It seems his little puppy crush on you is not only irritating, but quite useful. Say the word and I'll tear his heart out for harming you."

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked, hesitantly pressing her palms against his cheeks as she checked him over.

He stilled briefly at the contact but sagged in relief. "I'm fine."

"Good," she breathed, still continuing to briefly check him with her eyes for any injuries.

"My father knew about you," he confessed, looking up at her. "Taking it upon himself to announce it to all of your friends. Before or after letting my siblings escape, I'm not sure."

Caroline's jaw dropped. "Wait, back up? He told everybody?"

"And let my siblings free," Klaus finished, his jaw tightening. "It seems that my father wanted to use them against me."

"Where are they?" Caroline asked nervously, subconsciously curling into his arms.

His arms tightened around her and she inhaled deeply, finding his scent and embrace more comforting than anything she ever felt. His fingers drew small circles on her shoulder and she fisted his shirt as she cuddled closer.

He smirked against her skin. "With your friend Bonnie, actually."

"What?"

"When they were daggered, they were on the Other Side," he explained. "With my mother."

Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, her silence willing him to continue.

"It seems as if they were under the impression that if my mother was ever to go free from her coffin, that she would do everything in her power to kill us all," he explained, picking a piece of lint off her dress as he continued to inspect her. "They are working with your witch friend to ensure that never happens."

"Wait, your mother?" she asked, blinking confusedly. "She was the mysterious coffin?"

Klaus nodded.

"You kept your mother's dead corpse with you for a thousand years?"

He shrugged, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"That is a whole Norman Bates-y kind of weird," she wrinkled her nose. "Gross."

He chuckled, giving her a wry smile. "I never said I wasn't complicated."

"That's an understatement," she muttered under her breath. "So they're taking care of your mother and-"

"Then they want to leave," Klaus said quietly, his expression guarded. "There's nothing left for us here except-"

"Except me," she finished for him.

"You."

His face softened as he looked at her, hesitantly slipping a hand onto her cheek. He thumbed her dimple gently, watching her with a wistful gaze.

"I can't leave you, but I can't stay."

Caroline inhaled sharply. "You're going to make me go with you?"

Klaus shook his head, looking mildly annoyed that she even suggested it. "I can't make you do anything. I don't _want_ to make you do anything."

She wet her dry lips and closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort that his touch gave her. A part of her thrilled itself with how he was content to give her her own choices, a far cry from any other man that she ever knew. Hell, a far cry from any man anywhere.

With him, they were equals.

"I need more time."

He sighed, bringing his lips to her ear, brushing them over her skin.

"Okay."

* * *

Klaus' sister Rebekah wasn't friendly.

Like whatsoever.

Finn was a bore. Kol was almost as psychotic as Klaus.

And Elijah was just...Elijah.

The blonde Original vampire stared at her, arms across her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently as she assessed Caroline. After they left the Lockwood's, Klaus got a phone call from Elijah and Caroline received one from Bonnie stating that the Original Witch's body was currently at the bottom of the ocean and they were free to return home. Caroline ignored the many multiple messages she had from Stefan and Elena, surely gung-ho to yell at her for not telling them about Klaus.

Or to warn her about Damon coming to kill her.

Either way, she wasn't ready for that.

" _You're_ the mate?" she asked, looking unimpressed. "Figured it would be someone with a little bit better taste in clothing."

Instead of cowering at the other woman's obvious dislike, Caroline just arched a brow at her.

" _You're_ the sister?" she echoed, mirroring Rebekah's stance. "Figured you would have a tad more class."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed, baring her teeth at Kol and Elijah's snorts of laughter. Klaus smiled to himself, continuing to pour out a decanter of blood for Caroline. She took the glass gratefully, giving him a small smile before drinking it greedily. Her phone buzzed incessantly with more messages that she wasn't ready to face. She made a slight face when she finished the blood, its taste being nowhere as delectable as Klaus' own blood that he fed her to get the vervain out of her system.

"Is it okay, love?" Klaus asked, looking at her concerned.

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Uh, yeah. Just not as good as, uh, well-"

"Mine?" he finished, unable to fight the pleased grin spreading across his face.

She blushed and smacked his arm. "Shut up."

"You two are disgusting," Rebekah remarked, making a face.

Klaus ignored her, continuing to smile to himself as he reached for Caroline's empty glass and refilled it with more blood from the decanter. She fought her own shy smile and avoided looking at Rebekah's curious expression. Kol lounged on the couch while Finn looked around the mansion, poking interestedly at the technological items.

According to Klaus, he had been daggered for the better part of 900 years, so coming back to life in the 21th century had to be the biggest shock to him.

Caroline was totally going to force Klaus to buy the poor guy a phone and give him lessons on how to use it. It's his own damn fault anyways.

"Your phone is going off again, sweetheart," Klaus remarked, nodding at the silver phone on the coffee table. "You may want to answer your mother."

She made a face. "I don't want to deal with her millions of questions right now."

Plus, Klaus nearly died tonight with Damon's idiotic plan and her mate nerves were in overdrive. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with Elena yelling at her and her mother's disappointment. She didn't need that when all she could think about was how Klaus' father nearly killed him when she was off sleeping due to Tyler's vervain attack.

He nodded, pursing his lips together. "Do you want to stay?"

She ducked her head shyly, feeling exposed to how well he could read her. Kol and Finn looked over at them, the former's face incredibly amused and the latter's complete surprise. Rebekah choked out a "gross" and went stomping out of the parlor.

Caroline nodded, throwing him a grateful smile. Klaus returned it hesitantly and took her empty glass and put it down, holding out his hand. It was shaking slightly and she bit down on her lip, fighting off a small thrill down her spine.

She took it and sighed, closing her eyes briefly at the warm comfort his hand gave her. A tremor ran down his arm, tightening his grip of her hand before tugging her off towards the staircase.

"Burn some sage while you're up there Nik!" Kol called after them. "I don't want my beauty sleep to be disturbed by your wild mating rituals."

Klaus snarled, whirling around to snap at his brother but Caroline just rolled her eyes and yanked him up the stairs.

"He's not worth it," she muttered and Klaus just grumbled under his breath, swiping his thumb across the top of her hand.

She sucked in a breath at the affectionate motion and felt her lips turn up at it. Klaus seemed to notice, his mouth mirroring hers as he walked her up the stairs.

When they made it to his room, they both stared at the bed awkwardly. As much as she wanted to be, _needed_ , to be near him- she definitely wasn't ready for that part. And by the way Klaus' hands shook in hers, he wasn't ready either.

"Um, can I just get something to sleep in?" she asked quietly, her cheeks blushing crimson.

"Of course, love," he sent her a brief smile, squeezing her hand lightly before letting go and wandering off to his dresser on the opposite side of the room.

She winced at how cold she felt when he left her side and threaded her fingers together to keep from feeling antsy. He shifted through his drawers quickly, pulling out one of his trademark henley shirts and tossed her a pair of sweats. There was some paint on them, probably one of his outfits that he wore when he was creating.

She gave him an awkward smile before moving to his bathroom to change. He looked away, pressing his lips together as his foot tapped anxiously as he continued to rifle through his dresser for clothes for himself.

Caroline changed quickly, neatly folding her Homecoming dress and taking off her jewelry and placing it on top so that they wouldn't get lost. She breathed deeply, taking in the comfort of his scent. It felt like a wave of warmth to keep her safe, that it will _always_ be the security that she needs.

She nervously tiptoed out of the bathroom, her mouth running dry when she saw Klaus perched at the head of the bed in a tank top and sweatpants, his sketchbook in hand. His eyes snapped up and he swallowed heavily at the way his clothes clung to her. She gave him a brief, shy smile as her heart pounded.

He tossed the sketchbook aside and pulled the covers out for her. "I can sleep in the guest room if you'd like."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, that's okay. I don't mind sharing with you."

He gave her a cheeky smile and she blushed, shaking her head.

"Not like _that_ ," she chided gently. "I just need you to be here."

His lips turned up into a soft smile and she returned it. Caroline bounded over to the bed and climbed in quickly, ignoring at how hot her face felt as he watched her with a piercing stare. She immediately slipped under the sheets and turned around to where she was facing the wall, biting her lip as her heart pounded like crazy.

Klaus shifted behind her, turning off his lamp and darkness flooded the room. He faced the other direction, their backs lightly touching. Caroline took a deep breath, willing herself to concentrate on the slight comfort the little touch provided.

It seemed like forever, but was only a few minutes before she finally spoke into the darkness.

"Can you hold me?"

Klaus inhaled sharply and then- "Of course."

He rolled over, immediately slipping an arm around her waist and pulled her into his warm embrace. She sighed immediately in relief, eyes closing briefly as she snuggled deeper in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Whatever for?" he asked incredulously.

"I wasn't there for you," she answered, fighting back emotion that threatened to clog her throat. "You could have died and it would have been all because of my friends. All because I hid the truth from them."

"Sweetheart, it's not your fault," he comforted, his lips brushing against her temple.

She shivered and found his hand around her waist, lacing their fingers together.

"It's not the first time someone's been ashamed of me," he tried to joke and Caroline winced.

She turned in his arms, their noses brushing as she wrapped an arm around his waist. His grip tightened around her, touching their foreheads together.

"I'm not ashamed of you," she confessed, her fingers brushing lightly under his tank top.

"No?"

"I'm just," she sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm so confused."

Klaus chuckled, his warm breath brushing over her skin and she shivered.

"Believe me, you aren't the only one sweetheart."

"I know that every piece of logic is screaming at me to walk away, that I _should_ walk away from you," she started, and Klaus stiffened in her arms.

"But I don't want to."

He relaxed minutely, his thumb making its way underneath the hem of her shirt to draw circles on the small of her back. Her eyes closed briefly at the contact and tightened her grip around his waist.

"You've done such terrible things to my friends," she began. "But you're also a part of me. You always will be. And I was so scared tonight that something would happen to you."

"Nothing would have," he said quietly, his lips brushing against her skin.

"I know," she said in a small voice. "And nothing can ever happen to you because I genuinely don't think I can bear it. This whole mate thing is incredibly inconvenient and everything, but I wouldn't change it."

"No?"

"No," she said, her own confession shocking the hell out of both of them.

Caroline could feel it down to her bones. Yeah Klaus was super dangerous and had done a lot of bad things, but in the end, Caroline was just a newborn vampire. Who would she be in a thousand years? He did a lot of terrible things to her friends before everything, but he did a lot of things to save _her._ Where words failed, actions spoke.

And every action he'd done in the past few weeks, not killing the Salvatores after every murder attempt, stopped bothering her friends (though, they clearly thought it meant it was time for them to strike), he stayed in town when there was nothing more for him, showed that he _was_ trying.

And it was time that she did too.

She could feel his grin into the darkness and her cheeks warmed and she bumped him with her nose. "Stop gloating. It's super unattractive."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said cheekily.

His fingers tickled her gently and she giggled, burying her head in his shoulder. He chuckled lowly and pulled her closer, gently stroking her back as his touch and scent lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

First thing she had to do was tell her mother, then she'd figure the rest out.

But there was one thing she was done doing.

She wasn't going to apologize anymore.

* * *

Surprisingly, her mother wasn't entirely shocked when she found out. In fact, Liz Forbes had an inkling that her daughter was hiding something the entire time.

"When your teenage daughter asks you to invite in the man who has been terrorizing the town for weeks to your home, you start to get suspicious," Liz explained, giving Caroline an exasperated look.

They were sitting in her living room the day after Homecoming, both of them clutching hot mugs of tea while they settled down for a much needed family talk.

It must have been the guilty look on Caroline's face because all her mother did was sigh and shake her head.

"And Bonnie explained it to me."

Caroline just gave her mother a hapless smile and the sheriff's eyes softened, pulling her daughter over to her.

"Sweetheart, you could have just told me. I've been studying the supernatural for decades," she said gently. "I could have helped."

"I know," Caroline nodded, worrying her bottom lip. "But I figured it was too much. First I'm a vampire and now I'm the mate to quite literally the most powerful creature on the planet."

"Oh, Caroline," her mother said kindly. "I know we started this part of the journey roughly, but I don't ever want you to be afraid to come to me."

Caroline eyes filled with tears at her mom's warm tone and blinked, pressing her lips together as she toyed with her hands.

"Promise me," Liz continued. "Promise me that you'll always tell me from now on."

Carole sighed heavily and nodded, wiping away a stray tear with a watery giggle. Her mother smiled, reaching up to wipe the rest of her tears away.

"You know, when I first told Bonnie about him, I couldn't stop apologizing because I thought it was my fault," she whispered into her mother's arms. "But it's not."

"Of course it's not," Liz said incredulously. "You can't help who you aren't meant to be with."

"Like Dad was meant for Stephen," Caroline said in a small voice, knowing that was a sore subject for her and her mom.

Liz hummed in agreement. "I see that now. Just like I understand what's happened to you. The people you are meant to be with are always the one's you never see coming."

"Yeah?"

Her mother nodded, pushing a piece of Caroline's curls behind her ear. "Yeah. Everything happens for a reason. We don't understand it at the time, but in the end, it all makes sense."

Caroline smiled slightly. "I know this is something that you probably hate, but I love being a vampire, Mom. I feel strong, ageless...fearless. It's like I was meant to be this person."

Liz returned her smile, eyes looking over her daughter as if she was seeing her for the first time in a long time. "Then I am so proud of you. I want you to be happy, Caroline."

"I am," she nodded. "For the first time, I feel like me."

Her mother just pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. "Then I am okay."

Caroline sighed, closing her eyes against her mother's chest. There was something so comforting about her mother's embrace, even though they'd had a couple of rough years. Her mom would always love her, even if she'd doubted that lately.

She was her mother.

It was that simple.

"I know he wants you to leave with him," Liz started, giving her daughter a serious look. "And I understand if you need to. If you _want_ to."

Caroline's jaw dropped and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before shrugging helplessly. "I don't really know what I want."

"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," the sheriff sighed, her lips tightening. "But I trust you. And my years of researching the supernatural have given me a good idea of what would happen to him if anything happened to you."

"Clearly I'm crazy for considering it," Caroline choked out a laugh.

Liz pursed her lips, tilting her head contemplatively. "Maybe, but I think I would be crazier letting you stay in Mystic Falls where the Town Council could come at you at anytime. Especially since Carole Lockwood has her suspicions."

"What about Dad?" Caroline asked hesitantly.

She'd been brushing off seeing her dad for months, knowing that if her own mother could barely look at her, her father wouldn't fair much better. His family founded the town, the Forbes ancestors being the ones to help banish Katherine, Damon, and Stefan in the first place.

Her father was understanding, but not that understanding.

"The only thing he hates worse than werewolves are vampires," Liz said simply. "One of the first things he told me shortly after we got married."

"Do you think he could learn to handle it? Like you? To handle me?"

Liz gave her a sad smile. "I don't know, honey. I really don't know."

Caroline's face crumpled and she let out a choked sob. Liz pulled her into her arms, stroking her blonde curls as the vampire cried. Bill Forbes was always the parental figure that she was closest to and thought of never being able to see him, in fear of him killing her, or worse, hating her forever was devastating beyond belief.

There was a gush of wind and Caroline heard a whistling noise come through the front door, and someone stopped quickly at the blonde's disheveled appearance. Both mother and daughter looked up, unsurprised to see Klaus standing in front of them, his beautifully handsome face wrecked as his eyes roamed over Caroline, checking her for injuries.

Ignoring Liz, he kneeled and took her hand as his eyes still searched. "Are you okay, love? I felt-"

He stopped talking, casting a side eye at her mother before gripping her hand harder. "Are you hurt?"

She gave him a lame smile, sniffing. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Liz hummed under her breath, letting go of Caroline before standing up. It seemed as if she was intruding as the two mates continued to stare at each other, lost in their own little world.

"I'll be in the kitchen," she announced as she walked, both Caroline and Klaus ignoring her as his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice soft and worrisome and she held back an amused smile at their positioning.

Klaus Mikaelson, town terror, local psychopath, and the most powerful creature in the planet, brought to his knees by a baby vampire.

His mate.

"If I knew you were this soft when I met you a few months ago, I maybe would have been a tad nicer," she teased.

He rolled his eyes, wiping her final tear away with his thumb. "I'm not soft."

"You're literally on your knees, holding my hand. You are so soft," she smiled.

His lips tilted upwards. "Don't tell anybody. I have a reputation to protect."

"Ah yes, my mate, the psychopathic teddy bear."

"Shut up," he hissed, chuckling despite his indignation.

She giggled, scooting over to make room for him on the couch while he got up. He settled next to her, not letting go of her hand. She was glad, threading her fingers through his. There was something so grounding about being able to touch him.

Her mate.

Her future.

"Mom and I just had to have a little chat," she said lightly, playing with his fingers.

Klaus' brow rose. "Oh?"

"Yeah," she murmured, looking up at him shyly. "About you."

"She does know that I can't be killed right?" he cracked and Caroline rolled her eyes, gracing him with an exasperated look.

"Just because I used to hate you and my friends still kind of do, doesn't mean that everybody in all of Mystic Falls is trying to kill you."

Klaus pursed his lips together. "Debatable, love."

She tilted her head, conceding. "Okay, I'm not and neither is Bonnie. And well, I guess my mom now."

"And the Salvatores," Klaus finished and she whipped around to give him a dumbfounded look.

"I had a little chat with them earlier today," he began, looking a bit sheepish. "Seems as if the Bennett witch had got to them first and explained everything and while the doppelganger still wants to make sure you're not compelled, she understands."

Caroline scoffed. "You're lying. Elena has left me a bajillion messages and I'm pretty sure they're all angry. I haven't checked but I know her and I know Damon."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her. "Perhaps if you answered one of your "bajillion" messages from her, you would see that I'm right."

Caroline chewed the inside of her cheek, almost afraid to hope that for once in her life, Elena would understand her. Her best friend was a compassionate, loving person, but there was always a part of their friendship where Caroline always felt secondary to Bonnie, like she never quite _got_ her.

"Maybe I can answer her after," she started slowly.

"After?"

"After we book our trip," Caroline said hesitantly, gauging for Klaus' reaction.

It was nothing short of memorable. His eyes widened almost comically, jaw dropped, and his hands gripped her hands tighter. She couldn't help but giggle, taking her pointer finger and tapping his chin upwards until it closed.

He rolled his eyes, but his eyes were sparkling with something she'd never fully seen before. He pulled her closer to where their foreheads were resting together,

"Say it."

She scrunched her nose cutely and his eyes flashed again and she figured out what was happening with them

He was _happy_.

"I'm ready to leave with you," she murmured, grinning at the way his smile seemed to split his face wide open. "But just until Christmas break is over. I still need to graduate and I can compel the rest of my homework for the semester."

"I don't care. Say it again."

"Klaus," she chastised. "I already said-"

He cut her off with his lips and she felt a jolt down her back, electricity zipping through her veins. She gasped into his kiss, immediately threading her fingers through his dirty blonde curls. His stubble scraped against her chin as she licked into his mouth, moaning at his taste. One hand ran through her hair, the other tracing her arm as he pulled her closer.

Their lips fit against each other perfectly as the intensity of the kiss overcame their senses. Warmth spread throughout Caroline's body, sending her into overdrive as she kissed him harder, marveling at how much she craved his touch and taste. He seemed to feel the same way, pressing into her and swiping his tongue against hers as they kissed hotly.

She'd been kissed before as a human and as a vampire, but those had no comparison to what if felt like to kiss her mate.

Sex with him was going to be _amazing._

When air became an issue, Caroline reluctantly broke the kiss, panting heavily into his mouth as he sucked in a deep breath. She couldn't help but kiss him again, smiling into the kiss as Klaus immediately tugged her back into her arms.

"Wait," she muttered against his lips. "My mom."

He growled under his breath, but disengaged, letting go of her and sitting back. She grinned at the sight, his curls rumpled and crimson lips swollen with her kisses.

He looked at her appreciatively, probably seeing the same desire in her eyes that she saw in his. His lips turned up into a self-satisfied smirk as she continued to breathe heavily, wanting desperately to launch back in his arms.

"Shut up," she shot teasingly to her smug mate.

He pursed his lips together, arching his brow. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it. And no, I'm not going to stroke your ego by telling you how good of a kisser you are."

Klaus gave her a cheeky smile. "I wouldn't call whatever you might end up stroking an ego, love."

"Oh my God, you are so gross," she squealed, smacking him on the arm with a laugh.

He laughed too, the sound settling deep into her stomach. She smiled softly at the feeling, taking his hand into hers.

He watched the motion, unable to fight off the soft, affection smile on his lips. She'd been around Klaus for the majority of the past few months and there was always something guarded about him. Like he wouldn't quite let himself relax around her, but it was gone. He looked insanely happy for the first time in a long time.

For the first time in a thousand years.

"So," he began. "Where to?"

Caroline bit her lip before leaning over and brushing her lips against his cheek. The gesture made his smile blossom hugely across his face, his dimples deepening.

"Wherever you're going."

He kissed her soundly on the lips.

"How does New Orleans sound?"

She grinned.

"Perfect."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please drop a comment to tell me what you liked, didn't like, your feelings, what you had for lunch, etc.**

 **Until Next Time**

 **Kaitlyn**


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